When you were in undergrad, did your professors talk to you about being a reflective teachers? A teacher needs to look back at your lessons to see what worked and what didn't work, so you can improve them. This is how you continue to grow professionally. It is very easy to get caught up in all of the details and hectic-ness (if that is a word) of your job, and forget to look back over what you have been working so hard to do. Sometimes, spending a little time looking over what you have done, tweaking this or that, will make your future lessons more productive.
Reflection is a great skill to include with your lessons. Do you have a student that is a perfectionist or one who is afraid to take risk? These students may have a fear of making a mistake. You can use "today's reflections" like an exit slip. There are colorful and black-white signs that you can use with your class to discuss what worked well today and what needs some improvement. You can target this for a specific topic or keep it general.
If your class is having trouble at lunch, use this to start the discussion about what works and doesn't work in cafeteria. Sometimes it can be very informative if you have the students write their own reflections before the class discussion. Students' insights are often spot on!
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